Dance of the Peacock

Sometimes it is difficult to say the truth, especially when we know that the truth is sure to prick the conscience of the listener. There are many whose conscience are made of thick skin, and so they may not mind whatever people tell about them, and we shall leave them in peace and would not venture to disturb them for a while. We do not say that people of this sort can be left scot free, just because they are stiff-necked people who would not listen to any one, even if God the Father were to appear before them and ask them to change. We have to find some way of letting them know that they cannot decide for the whole world; at least once in a while, they have to be human.

Today is the golden jubilee of a few nuns, and I had been invited to attend the celebrations, which is comprised of the Eucharist presided over by the archbishop, felicitation to the jubilarians, a dance drama of Tagore and festive dinner. I could make out that it would take at least five hours to complete these programs, and I did not want to waste my time sitting there doing nothing. It is not that going to attend the program would be useless, but I thought if it would be worthwhile. It would have been an occasion for me to meet some of my friends, and I had known at least two of the jubilarians, who wanted me to attend the function. But one of the most important questions that I was asking myself is : should I go there to attend the function, just to please some?

Yesterday as I visited the place and told one of the friends there that I would not be going for today’s program, she told me I could not afford to miss the program. After a little while, one of the most famous jubilarian came to tell me that I should attend the celebrations, since I was partly involved with the preparations. When I told her that I would not, then she jokingly said they would not be able to forgive me if I miss the program and dinner, for which I retorted I would not require their forgiveness. Later on the hind sight, I thought I should not have been so blunt to the nun, but I found no other way of communicating to her what I hope to tell her one day.

I was told that some 600 to 700 persons would take part in the dinner today, and I was just imagining how much it would cost to feed all of them, and having known the way how these nuns host dinners, I am quite sure it would cost them a fortune. Theirs is a poor congregation with a very limited resources, and I was told that all the convents of the congregation would be required to contribute for the celebration. Some of the convents are too poor to contribute, and yet they would have no other option to dish out from their bare necessity for the dinner. I was asking myself if such a dinner should be organized at all?

Often such dinners and programs are organized to show off, and to exhibit to others how important they are. I would have readily agreed to join them for fifty golden years of service to God and people, if the celebration were organized in a small-scale with only some friends and acquintances. I know that my attending or not attending the celebrations is not going to change any of their programs; they all will go on as planned; but I would be able to share with them the real reasons for my not attending the program, if they wished to listen to me. I had seen the dance of peacocks, and do not require to see yet another one dancing!

Dressed to Dazzle!

You look gorgeous! You look splendid! You are the most beautiful lady on earth! These are the common conversation-starters during dinners, parties, social gatherings! We, of course, know what people appreciate: not so much the people, but the clothes they have worn, the necklaces, bangles, ear-rings, or rings! What better way to win the attention of a lady than to flatter her on her clothes, choice of colors, ornaments, and men know very well how to make women float in the clouds! But that is not the whole truth: there are some who know how to present themselves as wholly as possible, without mixing the natural and the artificial! It is not an easy task; it might take several years before we understand the right proportion!

Dressing in general and for an occasion is an art, which very few people master; very seldom lessons are given on proper dressing, except if one is being initiated into the fashion world! But we often come across persons who would look beautiful with whatever they wear; at the sametime we also know people who would look clownish and misfit whatever they wear! We often hear people making comments that we have no taste for colors! I am proud to have a few of my friends who are aces in dressing themselves, and in dressing up others, so much so that they are often in much demand to dress up for special occasions.

The clothes we wear, and the ornaments we adorn ourselves with often have two functions : either to enhance the inner beauty of the person who is wearing it, or to kill the inner beauty and project the artificiality of the clothes and ornaments! The fashion industry is meant to research on the first function and help us realize the ways of enhancing our inner beauty, but reality is far from it. In any fashion parade (which is often dubbed passion parade), the natural grammers are reversed; instead of going along with nature, attempts are made to make a stark distinction between what is natural and the unnatural, which often goes in the name of creativity.

I have realized that the people who dress up best are the people from the villages, who have no sophisticated formula of dressing themselves. There are no special make-ups, and yet when we look at them, we know they are beautiful! The simple clothes and natural beauty present them as far more beautiful than the city-bred artificially decked beauty queens. Clothes and fabrics industry has become one of the most profitable and important business today; fashion designers are much in demand for anyone who is part of the who-is-who of the film industry and political arena.

Any well dressed person is a joy to the eyes of the people who would have a glance at them; the personality of the person is heightened immediately. No wonder people take extra care about their dressing before going for job interviews and examinations. But they may just forget that dress alone does not matter; how you dress is more important than what you wear. I for one, is a poor dresser, who does not pay sufficient attention to what I wear and how I do! I may have to take lessons from my friend, who would only be too delighted to offer me tips on how to dress (she often does, though I am quite used to not listening to her tips)! Maybe next time, I will listen to her tips and see if they make a difference!